Ester Manas Spring 2027

After two years away from the Paris runway, Ester Manas and Balthazar Delepierre returned with a new perspective on dressing. Since their last show, the designers have welcomed a baby boy and moved to a direct-to-consumer model, while the conversation around body diversity in fashion has become noticeably quieter. Rather than returning with another manifesto, the duo presented a wardrobe shaped by the realities of new parenthood: less time for ironing, more need for clothes that work without much thought.

Titled Somehow I Manage, the collection traded some of the urgency of the label’s earlier body-conscious designs for a more relaxed, everyday sensibility. Crinkled fabrics ran through the offering, from lace-trimmed skirts with drawstring waists to a substantial corduroy bomber. The standout was the oversized shirt, appearing in everything from flannel checks to baby-pink taffeta. It was a wardrobe that embraced the slightly undone, without losing the sensuality that has long defined the brand.

The designers also collaborated with Belgian lingerie label PrimaDonna on a see-now, buy-now capsule, reworking pieces from its archive. Bodysuits arrived in faded colour combinations and unexpected pairings, including leopard print with pale-blue lace, while pencil skirts were decorated with 22,000 recovered deadstock bra ribbons. The collection moved between practical dressing and playful provocation, with lingerie references remaining central to the label’s approach to fit and femininity.

As the soundtrack shifted from the lullaby “Buckeye Jim” to Chaka Khan’s “I’m Every Woman”, the collection made its point without turning into a rallying cry. Ester Manas has always challenged fashion’s narrow idea of who gets to be dressed, but Spring 2027 felt less like a campaign and more like a lived-in wardrobe. Motherhood may have changed the designers’ daily routine; it has not changed who their clothes are for.